If you think you might have a problem...

When you began drinking and/or taking drugs, it was fun, right? You thought you could stop using on your own, any time, no problem.

Slowly, though, the problems started and you rationalized them away: You blamed your troubles on someone else. Fleetingly you thought that maybe your drinking/drugging was a problem, but you quickly dismissed the notion. Your life just wasn't going the way you wanted.

Sound familiar? If so, what are you going to do about it?

Most attempts to control your drug and alcohol use are doomed to failure, partly because long-term use initiates changes in the brain that persist long after you have put aside the alcohol or drug. No amount of willpower, vows of sobriety, resolutions or promises seems to work.

This doesn’t mean you're weak -- you're just caught up in a vicious cycle that will require professional help in order to end the turmoil. You’re trapped in a situation you can’t control, waiting for the next uncontrollable thing to happen.

Waiting isn’t the answer -- it’s time to pick up the phone and call for help. Nobody can make you stop using. That decision is completely up to you.

Most substance-abuse success stories begin with a comprehensive treatment program that can help you overcome your cravings, develop proper coping mechanisms and begin to learn life skills in order to function as a sober human being.

The good news is that you don’t have to go away, miss work or leave the family. Statistics show that comprehensive structured intensive outpatient treatment is the preferred way in 80 percent of cases. It is a reality-based treatment experience that allows you to continue to work and live at home -- while getting the level of treatment you need to make the life changes necessary to overcome your addiction.

The Kenneth Peters Center for Recovery is Long Island's premier program for the treatment of alcoholism and chemical dependency. It is a medically supervised New York state-licensed program that offers you the highest-quality treatment at a fraction of the cost of a brief inpatient stay: Compare $15,000-$20,000 for 28 days of inpatient treatment at a rehab with $8,000 for one year of outpatient treatment at KPC. Research shows that the longer the engagement in treatment, the higher the success rate.

We accept most commercial insurance plans. We do not accept Medicare or Medicaid.